Camp Cooking

You can cook a variety of foods without heat. What you end up with is peanut butter or vegimite sandwiches, potato chips, carrots, donuts from the local grocery store, a pack of cheese crackers... you get the idea. With a little heat, and some imagination, you can cook anything your cooler or backpack can hold.

    Charcoal is the easiest method of outdoor cooking. Many campers now use charcoal instead of wood because of strict regulations against open fires in many parks and recreation areas. Charcoal is a good fuel for grilling, dutch oven cooking, stick cooking, or foil packs to name a few. To shorten the heating time, pile the briquets in a #10 can that has both ends cut out and holes punched with a can opener every 2 inches around the lower edge. Place a sheet or two of crumbled newspaper in the bottom of the can. Place the briquets on top of the newspaper. Lift the can and light the paper. Tilt the can so a draft is created in the bottom. Remove the can after the coals are hot and spread the briquets out for a larger cooking surface. This method takes 30 - 40 minutes to become hot. Normal time is 40 - 50 minutes. Word of caution: Never use in an enclosed area. Always make sure the coals are no longer glowing. Sprinkle a small amount of water on the briquets, and stir until completely cold. Another extinguishing method is to place the coals in a can and cover with foil so that no oxygen can get in. Heavy duty foil placed under the unlit briquets makes for easy cleanup later.

Wood fires can be a great source of heat and cooking for campers if used properly. Start by gathering wood that is already on the ground. Do not cut a fresh tree for a wood fire. You will need three types of wood: tinder, kindling and fuel. Tinder is small twigs, dry grass, dry leaves, dry pine needles and bark. Kindling is usually a little larger than tinder and no larger than two inches in diameter. Fuel should be larger than kindling to the size of logs. Once you have gathered your wood, start the fire in a fire ring (usually surrounded by small rocks) or protected area. Loosely pile the tinder in the middle of the ring and ignite. Once this catches, add a little more. Slowly add the kindling. When your fire is off to a good start, add the fuel, one log at a time, being careful not to extinguish the fire by cutting off the oxygen to the flames. If you choose to use a wood fire as your cooking method, build in a fire ring or area cleared of debris, tree roots and dry grass. Never leave the fire unattended. Build a fire only as big as you need. When ready to extinguish a fire, break up the ashes and scatter them out to cool. Dampen with water and stir with a stick. Continue this process until the ashes are cold to the touch.

Types of Equipment for our discussion will cover the basics needed to cook outdoors. Equipment could possibly include everything from a basic water bucket to an elaborate swiss army knife.

If you need more information than what is provided here, visit a local camping store or outdoor center. They have a wide variety of camping equipment and could help you choose what is best for your type of trip.

The first piece of equipment every campsite needs is a water bucket. If you are outdoors and have any type of fire, this is invaluable. Fill it with water and keep near your fire. If your fire source is wood or charcoal, you will also need a rake or stong stick for stirring the coals down. The rake or stick also helps to smother the fire with dirt if it gets out of control. A small saw or ax helps to cut wood too large for the fire. Fireproof oven mitts are also a necessary part of camp cooking. Don't leave home without them.

Always take soap with you. Of course you can clean up with it, but it is also useful for protecting your pans from smoke and fire damage. Before you place your meal items in your cooking utensils, completely soap the outside with liquid soap or soap lather. The black residue will wash off a lot easier using this pre-cooking method. Of course you know not to soap the inside, right?

Pots and pans can be anything. It is always best to leave your best cooking equipment at home, just in case the soap thing fails to work. Take pots and pans that fit your stove. Too big will cause too much heat to build up around the stove. Make sure the utensil is fireproof. That would more specifically relate to the handles on the pot or pan. Cookie sheets make great griddles, but keep a safe distance from your heat source so that you have a more even heat distribution and remember the air circulation factor.

A dutch oven is a good choice for car campers. You can cook, bake, fry or stew in the dutch oven. Most people generally use the dutch oven over a wood fire or charcoal. Even if you use a wood fire as a base, most recipes still call for hot charcoal briquets to be placed on top of the oven lid to create even heat distribution. Your meal will cook faster, too. If you line the oven with foil before baking, cleanup will be faster. You may also want to use foil on top of the oven lid before placing the hot charcoal briquets on top.

A nice piece of equipment, although not necessary, is a foldout grill with legs that fits over your wood or charcoal fire. This gets food or pots directly off the fire.

Tin cans may be used for cooking. Layer your meal such as hamburger or chicken, vegetables, and seasoning in the can, meat first. Cover with heavy-duty foil, place on your heat source and forget it until it is done. Usually this method takes about 30 - 45 minutes to cook, but check before eating. The temperature of your heat source will alter the cooking time.

Along the same lines of tin can cooking is foil cooking. Start with a square of heavy duty aluminum foil. Layer your meal the same way as with the tin can; meat, potatoes, corn on the cob, cabbage, seasoning - the list of possibilities is endless. A small amount of any type of cream of something soup poured over the top before cooking makes a nice gravy. Once you have all the ingredients for your meal, securely wrap the package with the ends folded or rolled up. This helps when it is time to flip the package which is placed over hot coals to cook. Turn every 5 minutes for even cooking. Cook 15 minutes per side.